Reprinted with permission from Jack Norris, Co-Founder
of Vegan Outreach

A 1994 Roper Poll estimated the number of vegans in the U.S. at 500,000 and
growing. This booklet explains the reasons why more and more people are choosing
to follow a vegan lifestyle which embraces compassion for all living beings.
Because animals feel pain and desire to live, vegans strive to live without
contributing to their suffering. This goal affects vegans' choices of food,
household products, and entertainment.

Animals experience many of the same emotions as do humans. When confronted
with a bellowing cow, meat industry consultant and Professor of Animal Sciences,
Dr. Temple Grandin noted, "That's one sad, unhappy, upset cow. She wants
her baby. Bellowing for it, hunting for it. It's like grieving, mourning
- not much written about it. People don't like to allow them thoughts or
feelings." (An Anthropologist on Mars , 1995)

According to veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox, "As for the chemistry of the central
nervous and endocrine systems, we know that there is no difference in kind
between humans and other animals. The biochemistry of physiological and emotional
states (of stress and anxiety, for example) differ little between mice and
men." (Returning to Eden, 1989)

Obviously, animals are killed to produce meat. To produce eggs and dairy
products, the male animals are killed shortly after birth, and the female
animals are slaughtered after their production rate drops (after only ~25%
of their normal life span). This killing alone is reason enough for vegans
not to support these industries.

There are a multitude of abusive practices which occur in today's livestock
industry. These practices are not in the public eye, but neither are they
kept secret. Anyone who doubts they occur on a large scale needs only to
glance through farm industry journals to see that abusive practices are promoted
by the industry and even defended as being necessary for the production of
low-cost meat.

The vast majority of animals do not live like those one might see while driving
along a country road. Rather, billions of animals are raised each year on
farms owned or controlled by large corporations. Corporations promote intensive
rearing systems where animals are treated more like objects in a factory
than living beings; which is why they are often called factory farms. The
animals are kept in cages or pens with little room to move, often in windowless
buildings. They must breathe the ammonia and stench created from the waste
of thousands of other animals living in the same building, burning their
sinuses and causing respiratory disease. They are often handled and slaughtered
brutally.

In order to keep the animals alive, antibiotics are mixed with their feed;
over 50% of all antibiotics used in this country are fed to livestock (a
practice which leads to drug-resistant bacteria). Despite this, a significant
proportion of the animals die of illness.

Hormones are administered and lighting and feeding schedules are manipulated
to make the animals grow larger. This oversizing causes pain in their joints,
which is aggravated by the fact that the animals spend their entire lives
on concrete, slatted metal, or wire mesh floors.

Industry Attitudes

In a letter to the journal Farmer and Stockbreeder, a veterinarian wrote,
"I hope many of my colleagues will join me in saying that we are already
tolerating systems of husbandry which, to say the least of it, are downright
cruel. Cost effectiveness and conversion ratios are all very well in a robot
state; but if this is the future, then the sooner I give up both farming
and farm veterinary work as well the better."

Farm animal handlers often react to the animals with impatience, callousness,
and even blatant, overt cruelty. In the trade magazine Meat and Poultry,
livestock consultant Dr. Temple Grandin reported numerous cases of "deliberate
cruelty," including workers who "enjoy killing and ... torment animals on
purpose," taking "sadistic pleasure from shooting the eyes out of cattle,"
striking them in the head, and electrically shocking animals in sensitive
areas of their bodies.

If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls...

Animals in slaughterhouses can hear those ahead of them being shackled and
killed, can smell the stench, and can sometimes see the slaughter. All animals
fight for their lives and struggle with their remaining strength to get away.

Dr. Grandin says, "[It is] easier to maintain a good attitude in [slaughterhouse]
plants with a slower line speed. The constant pressure to keep up with the
line leads to abuse." Despite this, the average U.S. slaughterhouse line
accelerated 22% during the 1980s.

Over 80% of pigs in the U.S. are intensively confined. These overcrowded
conditions can cause fighting and tail biting. The industry's response is
to cut off the piglets' tails without using anesthesia.

Breeding sows are constrained for much of their 16-week pregnancies in a
gestation crate barely larger than their bodies. Once their piglets are born,
the sows are kept in a farrowing stall until weaning. This stall often does
not allow the mother to stand or turn around.

When pigs arrive at the slaughterhouse, they sense what lies ahead and must
be forced off the truck with blows and electric shocks. Some pigs regain
consciousness after being stunned.

Over half of dairy cows in the U.S. are intensively confined. They are repeatedly
impregnated to continue their milk production, and their calves are taken
from them within hours after birth to prevent the calf from drinking milk.

In 1960, an average cow produced 2.5 tons of milk per year; in 1990 she produced
7 tons. In 1993, the U.S. government approved Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH/BST),
which causes cows to produce even more milk. This increases the incidence
of infection/inflammation of the udder and the subsequent use of more
antibiotics.

Although they can live 25 years under normal conditions, modern dairy cows
are slaughtered when their output goes down after about five years of constant
production.

The demand for milk products creates the veal market because the male calves
of dairy cows cannot produce milk and are not of the right stock to be raised
for beef. To keep their flesh tender, most veal calves live their 14 to 22
week life confined within tiny stalls without bedding or room to move or
turn around. They live in a windowless shed where the lights are turned on
only when the calves are given their anemia-producing, quick-grow formula.
The veal industry's Farm Animal Welfare Council nonetheless claims that veal
calves "live like kings."

Chicken Out

Over 95% of poultry hens in the U.S. are intensively confined. Anywhere from
thousands to hundreds of thousands of birds live in one building with little
room to walk around.

The stress from cramped conditions leads the birds to attack one another.
To combat this, the farmers cut off a portion of their beaks, and sometimes
portions of their toes, without anesthesia. In debeaking, delicate tissues
are severed by a hot knife, which veterinarians claim causes severe pain.
The shock of debeaking can kill.

Factory farmed animals can be subjected to weather extremes. For example,
300,000 chickens died from heat stress on June 9, 1993, in Delaware, Maryland,
and Virginia.

Typically, four or five egg-laying hens live in a cage with a wire floor
area about the size of a folded newspaper. Often, these cages are stacked
one on top of another, allowing excrement to drop onto birds below. The hens
are at the mercy of automated feeding and watering systems, which sometimes
malfunction.

Egg-laying hatcheries don't have any use for male chicks. These birds are
discarded and die from suffocation, gassing, drowning, or being ground up
alive.

Many birds are killed while fully conscious; others are shocked with electricity
at 12.5 mA, which paralyzes them and allows for easier feather release. However,
it would take 120 mA to render them unconscious. The birds are hung upside
down from a conveyor belt and their throats are cut (by a human or a machine).
Occasionally, a bird will break free and be left to die thrashing in pools
of blood on the floor. Birds who do not bleed to death before they reach
the scalding tank are boiled alive.

The National Turkey Federation opposes humane poultry slaughter legislation
because "it would subject turkey processors to a potentially expensive new
set of regulations." The Animal Welfare Committee of the American Veterinary
Medical Association says that laying hens' "low economic value makes it difficult
to justify costly new slaughter techniques."

No Home on the Range

Cattle spend half their lives in crowded feedlots. Many are branded with
hot irons and castrated and dehorned without anesthesia. The two most common
methods of slaughter are:

Stunning - Trying to shoot a terrified, struggling animal with a captive
bolt pistol is difficult, and the bolt often misses the mark, injuring the
animal without rendering them unconscious. They are often shackled by one
leg, hoisted upside down (which can break bones and dislocate joints), and
then their throats are cut. Some stunned cattle regain consciousness before
bleeding to death.

Kosher - This method requires the animals to be fully conscious when their
throats are cut and while they bleed to death. Meat does not have to be labeled
"Kosher" to have come from an animal killed in this manner, as various parts
of the animal's body cannot be sold as Kosher.

The Incredible Journey

During transport, animals are usually not fed or given water, sometimes for
days. They are packed tightly together to minimize costs, living in each
other's excrement, and are exposed to extreme weather conditions in the open
trucks and rail cars. Pigs have arrived at the slaughterhouse frozen to the
side of the truck. Shipping fever, which can be fatal, is common in cattle
transported long distances to the feedlot, then to the stockyards, and then
to the slaughterhouse.

The trauma caused by factory farms and transport can result in downers -
animals too sick or weak to walk, even when beaten or shocked with electric
prods. They are often dragged by chains to the "dead pile," where they are
abandoned to die.

Today's factory-farmed animals are already pushed well beyond normal limits
through feed additives, growth hormones, and environmental manipulation.
Yet researchers at the USDA are predicting the development of biotech broiler
chickens that grow twice as fast as present birds, layer hens that pump out
twice as many eggs per year, and cows that produce twice as much milk.

People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a
justification for continuing the practice. According to this logic, we should
not try to prevent people from murdering other people, since this has also
been done since the earliest of times.

Overwhelming neurological and physiological evidence indicates that fish
feel pain when they are hooked and suffocate. In addition, the driftnets
used by commercial fisheries can be up to 35 miles long, catching everything
in their path. Dolphins, whales, birds, and sea turtles drown when they swim
in the paths of these nets. Many fisheries have been stripped clean and closed
due to overfishing.

Many people are concerned about the environment but do not realize the
destructiveness of an animal-based diet. In order for people to eat meat,
eggs, or dairy products, livestock must be fed and housed and the products
refrigerated, which requires a tremendous amount of resources.

A report issued by the U.S. Depart-ments of Commerce and Interior says that
1/3 of all raw materials consumed in the U.S. are involved in the production
of our animal-based foods, as is over half of the water. A vegan can be fed
using 90% less water than a meat-eater. Wastes from animal agriculture create
three times more organic water pollution than all other industrial sources
combined. The intensive farming techniques required to produce an animal-based
diet have led to the loss of much of the original topsoil in the U.S.

Where Did All the Food Go?

Approximately 90% of oats, 85% of corn, and 80% of soybeans grown in the
U.S. are fed to livestock. According to the Presi-dent's Science Advisory
Committee, 15 vegetarians can be fed on the amount of land needed to produce
a meat-centered diet for one person. The food that could be saved if humans
consumed plant foods directly would be enough to feed the starving people
of the world many times over.

Many developing countries have expanded their animal production for export
while their people go hungry. For example, in Guatemala, over half the children
under five are starving, yet their country exports tens of millions of pounds
of meat each year to the U.S.

Wildlife

Besides the animals raised and killed for food, other animals die in the
process of raising livestock. Wolves are shot and trapped to prevent them
from killing livestock, deer are shot to prevent them from eating crops grown
for animal feed, and buffalo are shot because they threaten to spread disease
to cattle.

Many people follow a vegan diet (no animal products) for health reasons only.

In the words of nutritional expert Michael Klaper, M.D., "Your body has
absolutely no nutritional requirement for the flesh or milk of other animals."
All requirements can be obtained through non-animal sources.

The idea that animal products are wholesome and necessary has been promoted
by the meat and dairy industries, instigators of The Four Food Groups (recently
replaced by the Food Pyramid). Most of the nutritional information in schools
comes from groups, such as McDonalds and the USDA, who promote animal products.
As a result, most people grow up believing it is healthier for humans to
eat animal products.

The sight of a live or recently-slaughtered animal does not get our digestive
juices flowing. Rather, seeing an animal slaughtered is repulsive, even
nauseating to most people. But who is repulsed by seeing an apple picked
from a tree or a carrot taken from the ground?

As for milk being "natural" (as the dairy ads claim), humans have become
the only species which has members who drink milk past infancy or of another
species.

Prevalent diseases in western societies are diseases of excess, rather than
of deficiency. According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians
have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes
milletus, obesity, kidney stones, gallstones, and hypertension. Research
suggests that vegetarians are also at a decreased risk for breast cancer.

A Diet with Heart

Heart disease is strongly correlated with elevated levels of cholesterol,
which is found only in animal products. Dean Ornish, M.D., has shown that
a low-fat vegetarian diet can actually reverse heart disease, as discussed
in his book Program for Reversing Heart Disease (1990).

Into the Bowels

Colon cancer is the number two cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Natural
carnivores have short digestive tracts, conducive to expelling the toxins
contained in animal flesh, while humans have long digestive tracts for absorbing
the essential amino acids. Meat-eating and a lack of dietary fiber are linked
to colon cancer. Only plant foods contain fiber.

Standing Tall

Osteoporosis (loss of bone calcium) has been linked to excessive protein
intake. A study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. of Cornell University has shown
that people in the U.S. have twice the incidence of osteoporosis than people
in China, despite consuming twice the calcium. The Chinese obtain most of
their calcium from plants and eat only 6% of the animal protein of the average
American.

Contamination

Residues of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins
from the environment accumulate in animal fat. Bacterial contamination of
animal products often causes illness and death. According to Time, "The
conservative estimate is that bad chicken kills at least 1,000 people each
year and costs several billion dollars annually in medical costs and lost
productivity" (Oct. 17, 1994).

Vegan entrees can be obtained at most Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern, and
Indian restaurants. Many fast-food restaurants now serve vegan entrees (e.g.,
Taco Bell, Subway). Pizza without cheese is also popular. With a little
experience, a vegan cook can create meals indistinguishable in look and taste
from the traditional animal-based meals, as well as discover a wealth of
new meals.

Protein Because they believe protein to be the superior nutrient, people
in the U.S. consume over 2.5 times the amount of protein necessary. There
are 22 amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and the human body can
make all but eight of these. Vegans do not have to combine foods to get complete
protein. Dr. Michael Klaper says, "The concept of vegetable protein being
'incomplete' is a myth. All grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, and seeds
have all the essential amino acids."

According to the U.S. RDA, people should get 8-10% of their daily calories
from protein; the World Health Organization's estimate is lower. Most plant
foods greatly exceed this amount: potatoes have 11% of calories from protein,
wheat 15%, tomatoes 20%, beans 20-30%, and broccoli 45%. If someone in this
society consumes adequate calories, it is virtually impossible not to get
enough protein.

Other nutrients can also be easily obtained from a vegan diet, including:

Over 500 companies do not test their personal care or household products
on animals. Instead, these products are verified to be safe via computer
models, in vitro (test-tube) testing, cloned human skin, or by using ingredients
already listed on the FDA's Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) register.

Other companies continue to use inhumane and ineffective animal tests, such
as the Draize eye irritancy test (substances dripped into rabbit's eyes for
three to 21 days, typically causing bleeding ulcerations), the Lethal Dose
test (substances force-fed to a group of animals until a certain percentage
die), and the dermal abrasion test (substances applied to the animal's shaved
skin). Every year, approximately five million animals are killed testing
household cleaners and personal care products. Rats, rabbits, primates, dogs,
cats, pigs, mice, and guinea pigs are common victims.

Given that so many companies provide safe and effective products without
torturing and killing, tests on animals cannot be considered necessary. Here
is what some doctors say:

Current safety testing procedures are not only out-of-date and extremely
cruel, but they are also inadequate to protect consumers from unsafe products.

- Leslie Iffy, M.D.

As an emergency physician who has treated countless cases of accidental
poisonings and exposures to dangerous products, I disagree with the contention
that animal tests are necessary to determine the safety of cosmetics and
household products. Animal tests do not protect consumers from unsafe products.
In my 15 years as an emergency physician, I have never found the results
of an animal test to be of any benefit in guiding the treatment of patients
who have been poisoned.

- Daniel Hart, M.D. F.A.C.E.P.

Dr. Irwin D. Bross, former Director of Biostatistics at Roswell Park Memorial
Institute, says, "Among experienced public health officials, it is well-known
that you can 'prove' anything with animal studies. This is because there
are so many different animal model systems and each system gives different
results. By selecting whatever results happen to support a particular position
(and ignoring results to the contrary), one can come out with the desired
'conclusion.' In other words, if a company wants to prove their product "safe",
for protection against possible lawsuits, they can do so through animal tests.
As Dr. James Gallagher, former Director of Medical Research for Lederle
Laboratories, wrote in the Journal of American Medical Association, "Animal
studies are done for legal reasons and not for scientific reasons."

Many companies that once used animals have stopped. You can find biodegradable
personal care and household products that are not tested on animals and that
do not contain animal products at health and natural food stores.

Boycotting the companies that test on animals, and calling them to let them
know of your decision, is the most effective way to protest this cruelty.
Some of the companies that still test household products on animals are:

* Procter & Gamble (800-543-7270)

* Lever Brothers (800-451-6679)

* Colgate-Palmolive (800-221-4607)

* Johnson & Johnson (800-526-3967)

* Gillette (800-872-7202).

With the suffering out of sight, it may be easier simply to purchase what
you have always used or the brand on sale. But buying products from companies
that test on animals gives them financial support to continue killing more
animals.

Pet Industry There are already so many animals without homes that it is
heartbreaking to breed more while millions are being killed, often painfully,
in shelters throughout the country. Pets stores often buy from breeders and
wild animal traffickers who partake in abusive and cruel practices in order
to bring animals to the consumer.

People who let their dogs and cats have litters in order to show their children
the "miracle of birth" should come witness the "miracle of death" performed
in the back rooms of animal shelters all over the country.

If you want a companion, please share your home with animals from the local
humane society. To reduce overpopulation, have your animal sterilized or
spayed/neutered.

Zoos Confined animals suffer psychologically. Pacing and swaying are behaviors
indicative of extreme mental stress. The rationalization of education and
preservation do not justify forcing an individual animal to live in captivity.
The main lesson taught is that animals are important only in their value
to their captors.

Circuses Animals used in circuses suffer from confinement, boredom, and long
periods of travel. Even trainers known for their kindness have been caught
beating their animals.

Racing In 1992, 840 racehorses had fatal breakdowns, while 3,566 were badly
injured on American racetracks.

Characteristics such as intelligence, awareness, and altruism exist on a
continuum, with some animals having more of these characteristics than some
humans. There is no morally relevant characteristic that separates all human
beings from all non-humans. Indeed, the continual search for a unique trait
led psychologist Paul Chance to conclude that the only thing different about
humans is that we are "the only creature on Earth that tries to prove that
it is different from, and preferably superior to, other species."

Like prejudices based on skin color or gender, animals are exploited because
of speciesism - a prejudice against others because they belong to another
species. Like humans enslaved, exploited, and exterminated throughout history,
animals are victims of the philosophy "might makes right" in which the less
powerful are used and killed.

Vegans are sometimes accused of being naive to the fact that "life is cruel"
and that "animals kill each other." Regardless of whether life can be cruel
for some, or whether others kill, each of us has the capacity for compassion
and can choose not to contribute to the suffering of others.

Vegan Outreach's philosophy is that each sentient animal has a right to his
or her body and life. To that end, Vegan Outreach promotes the lifestyle
of veganism - living so as to contribute to as little exploitation and death
as possible. Vegan Outreach focuses on raising awareness with this booklet
on veganism.

To one whose mind is free, there is something even more intolerable in the
suffering of animals than in the sufferings of men. For with the latter it
is at least admitted that suffering is evil and that the man who causes it
is a criminal. But thousands of animals are uselessly butchered every day
without a shadow of remorse. If any man were to refer to it, he would be
thought ridiculous. And that is the unpardonable crime. That alone is the
justification of all that men may suffer. It cries vengeance upon all the
human race. If God exists and tolerates it, it cries vengeance upon God.

We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat
the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow
us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world
recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things,
humanity will not find peace.